No Oaks clues in Lupe

As Classic trials go the Victor Chandler Lupe Stakes at Goodwood today was probably the least informative of the season as the winner Foodbroker Fancy is not entered, will not be supplemented and therefore will not be going for the Vodafone Oaks.

David Elsworth`s charge did it the hard way overcoming serious traffic problems before Dane O`Neill produced her to swoop home and deny Arhaaff by a head after that filly who had difficulties of her own had looked all over the winner under Frankie Dettori close home.

Regarding the possibility of supplementing today`s 14-1 outsider for the June 8th Classic Elsworth, who was celebrating his 50th Goodwood success, said: 'I don`t think we shall put her in.

'I may be wrong but I don`t honestly think she is good enough. She is very small, only 14.3 hands and the smallest filly in the yard.

'She cost us IR75,000gns as a yearling and if she had been a hand taller she would probably have cost us 250,000.

Today was the second successive occasion that Foodbroker Fancy had met trouble in running having suffered in York`s Musidora Stakes when she finished fifth to Time Away.

'She was unlucky at York and she certainly was here. If she had a clear run she would have won this by a length and a half but as it was she just scrambled home by a head.

'She may be small but she is beautifully put together and she is so brave she would die for you on the racecourse.

'This trip suits her well but if the conditions and everything else was right for her I might try her over further.'

Elsworth dedicated the success to former Foodbroker Foods boss Desmond Cracknell who died recently.

'Desmond was a great supporter of both my yard and racing. He had horses with me for 10 years and he sponsored many days racing and would have loved to have been here.'

Disappointment of the race was 6-4 favourite Candice who could only finish third after making a lot of the running with any hopes of an Epsom appearance almost disappearing according to trainer Ed Dunlop.

'What did we learn from that?' the trainer asked before supplying his own reply.

'I think we learned that she won`t run at Epsom.

'Richard (Hughes) felt she was too fresh and she basically got tired in the last half furlong. She looked as if she was going to win and she stopped so quick.

'Obviously it depends on what Sheikh Maktoum wants to do as he`s got the filly that won the Prix Saint- Alary and the filly who was second in the Musidora, but it would lead me into going for the Prix de Diane (French Oaks).

That race was also in the mind of Mick Channon the trainer of the runner up for his charge but the vibes he threw out were negative.

'If we`d have won a head we`d have gone for it,' he admitted.

'She did all the work to win the race, she was just done on the line. That`s horseracing. It`s just a shame for me.

'Frankie said she stayed so I should be happy enough with that.' Arhaaff caused a stir when she ducked left immediately on leaving the gate but Channon could offer no explanation.

'I don`t know why she did that,' he said. 'Frankie said there`s a bit of a chute there or something and she just went.

'But it didn`t cost her, she didn`t lose a lot of ground.

'We`ll see. She`s run a solid race and if she`d won a head I would have been thrilled.'

The poor performance of Candice saw her ease out to 20-1 in the betting for the Oaks although her stablemate Mot Juste, winner of Newmarket`s Pretty Polly Stakes, has been cut to 7-1 from 14s.

Favourite Flight Of Fancy is 3-1 with Ladbrokes, 11-4 with Victor Chandler and 5-2 with the Tote.